AFMC commander emphasizes professionalism at town hall meeting

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • Arnold Engineering Development Center/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  During his first in-depth visit to Arnold Engineering Development Center as commander of Air Force Materiel Command, Gen. Donald Hoffman hosted a town hall meeting with center personnel to share his vision for achieving the command's priorities and accomplishing its mission.

"Whether you're the person pulling the trigger or you're the one enabling that person with the tools we develop through our wind tunnels here, our work is all about potentially using lethal force," General Hoffman said. "So I see working to the highest professional standards as our moral obligation. We're also obliged to maintain the confidence and trust of American citizens."

The general emphasized that accountability to taxpayers for the responsible use of resources is important across the board, from reducing costs for consumable commodities to achieving consistent and comprehensive excellence in the acquisition of weapon systems.

"We can't do the mission here without consuming resources," General Hoffman said. "You witness that on a daily basis, but what I ask is that you protect those resources - infrastructure, utilities, water - as if they were your own."

Another of General Hoffman's goals is to motivate people for continued service in the Air Force.

"You represent so much talent in this room, from one or two years of experience to 40-plus years of experience," he said. "I don't want to have to replace you. This is why I say I want to positively motivate you to stay."

General Hoffman also values workforce diversity because, he said, it makes organizations better.

"You have a unique work force composition here, unlike probably anywhere else in the Air Force," he said.

"Diversity is strength."

Before taking questions, General Hoffman briefly discussed the current state of the Air Force nuclear enterprise.

"AFMC has taken on some increased roles and responsibilities in the nuclear enterprise," he said. "We're now responsible for production, storage, and maintenance of ICBM systems. We didn't have that role before. Because of the significance of that mission, I think about it every day."

General Hoffman concluded by saying that AEDC is a national treasure because of its unique capabilities. "Test and evaluation of systems here are vital to this nation, not just to the U.S. Air Force, but to NASA, to some of our other national partners and some of our allies," he said.